Wagering game with images having dynamically changing shapes

A gaming system comprising:

• a gaming machine primarily dedicated to playing at least one casino wagering game, the gaming machine including an electronic display device and one or more electronic input devices;
• and
• one or more controllers configured to:
• detect, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a physical item associated with a monetary value that establishes a credit balance,
• initiate the casino wagering game in response to an input indicative of a wager covered by the credit balance,
• direct the electronic display device to display a screen presenting at least one reel and a graphical object, the at least one reel having a first shape defined by a first spline, the first spline being defined by one or more curves passing through a first set of control points, the screen presenting an interaction between the graphical object and the at least one reel,
• determine in real time, in response to the interaction between the graphical object and the at least one reel, a second shape for the image by determining a second set of control points for a second spline that defines the second shape, the second shape being according to a physics simulation in which the at least one reel and the graphical object are programmatically associated with non-rendered rigid body objects and which is conducted to determine how the at least one reel changes in the graphical interaction in accordance with material properties of the rigid body objects,
• direct the electronic display device to present on the screen the at least one reel changing from the first shape to the second shape, and
• receive, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a cashout input that initiates a payout from the credit balance.

A gaming system comprising:

• a gaming machine primarily dedicated to playing at least one casino wagering game, the gaming machine including an electronic display device and one or more electronic input devices;
• and
• one or more controllers configured to:
• detect, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a physical item associated with a monetary value that establishes a credit balance,
• initiate the casino wagering game in response to an input indicative of a wager covered by the credit balance,
• direct the electronic display device to display a screen presenting a first image, the first image following a first spline, the first spline being defined by one or more curves passing through a first set of control points,
• determine a second set of control points to define a second spline for the first image,
• direct the electronic display device to present on the screen the first image transitioning from following the first spline to following the second spline,
• receive, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a cashout input that initiates a payout from the credit balance,
• wherein the electronic display device is directed to present on the screen a graphical interaction involving the first image, and the one or more controllers are configured to determine the second set of control points in response to the graphical interaction involving the first image,
• wherein the one or more controllers are configured to determine the second set of control points in real time according to a physics simulation, the physics simulation programmatically associating the first image with non-rendered rigid body objects and conducting a simulated interaction with the rigid body objects based on the graphical interaction, and
• wherein the physics simulation programmatically associates the first set of control points with the rigid body objects and conducts the simulated interaction to determine how the rigid body objects change based on the graphical interaction and in accordance with material properties of the rigid body objects, the second set of control points being determined by the change in the rigid body objects.